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5 killed in Afghan sectarian riot
 At least five people were killed and dozens wounded in clashes between members of Afghanistan's Shia Muslim minority and Sunnis on Thursday at an Ashura gathering, a doctor said. About 80 percent of Afghans are Sunni Muslim, with most of the remainder Shia, but there has been no serious trouble between members of the different sects in recent years.The violence started with a brawl in the western city of Herat at a gathering for the Ashura commemoration after a group of Sunnis accused Shias of tearing up a sacred flag, said police official Nisar Ahmad Paikar. The fighting quickly escalated and soon, hundreds of people were involved. Grenades were thrown and vehicles, shops and at least one mosque were torched, security officials said. "Somebody threw a grenade into the crowd. Where was the government to stop that?" asked one angry Shia Muslim in the city, Sayed Zaman. "There is no law and no government in this country to stop violence." The latest Afghan violence came after 10 people were killed in protests over cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) published in European newspapers, but police said that the clashes in Herat had nothing to do with that controversy. Minister of Energy Ismail Khan, a former governor of Herat province, said that he was leading a central government team to the city to Posted by: Fred 2006-02-11 |
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